Sins Of The Innocent
by Moogle Empress
Summary: Just when they thought Aselia was at peace, they find themselves caught in age-old war between Niflheim and Aselia. When they hear tales of a Soul Reaper, Lloyd decides to confront this horror, but little did he know how dangerous this 'Reaper' truly was. Aided by old and new allies, can Aselia be saved once again? Or will it fall to Niflheim?
1. Prologue: Cursed Souls

Sins Of The Innocent

Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Tales series, if I did...(Evil laugh)

Pairings: Lots of implied Colloyd, Sheelos and other canon pairings and OCXOC

Genre: Drama/Humor/Friendship/Angst/Fantasy and there is Romance if you count the pairings above

Note: You know, this story has gone over so many different storylines that I'm beginning to think title is cursed XD

But I've decided to put this story back up. Hopefully this time, this reincarnation of the fan fic will fare better than the original. It's more or less the same though. I hope you guys enjoy it. =P

Summery: Just when they thought Aselia was at peace, they find themselves caught in age-old war between Niflheim and Aselia. Lloyd and friends start to hear disturbing rumors about a 'Soul Reaper' and how an army of undead and lifeless beings is forming from the corpses they kill. Determined to put a stop to this, Lloyd decides to confront this horror, little did they know just how dangerous their new enemy truly is. Can Aselia be saved? Or will it fall to Niflheim?

Alright, let's begin! Yayz!

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**Prologue: Cursed Souls**

* * *

**_2500 years ago..._**

Darkness, that was all the wandering soul could see, as far as the eye could see. There was even a hint of light anywhere nearby.

**"It's dark...Why is it so dark?" **The broken voice of the soul whispered into the vast void.

_"It's because you're dead, idiot." _Another voice chided.

**"What? Who's there?"**

_"Well well, looks like I'm not the only soul that has been cursed by Niflheim. Hmmm...this is an interesting turn of events. Let me guess, you got killed and you still have lingering regrets and a thirst for vengeance, right?" _The other voice sounded young and boyish, but it held so much malice and hatred that it oozed out when he spoke.

**"Vengeance? Ah...that's right...I was killed, by** **him. I tried to save someone important to me from becoming a vessel for the Goddess...but..."** The soul recalled it's last moments of life before it was snuffed out by an Angel. An Angel that betrayed them...

_"I hate to break it to you, but there is no goddess. Everything you fools back in the living world beleived in was a lie. There is only Niflheim and the demons who thrive there are the real gods. Gods of death, of course, but still gods nonetheless."_

**"N-no! That's not true! It isn't true...is it?"**

_"Sorry, but it is true. I was the same as you once, I didn't want to believe that my faith was nothing more than a mere joke. That said, I lived long before the rise of Cruxis, but there was no heaven waiting for me when I died, only the demons of Niflheim that came to me."_

**"Then...everything we worked so hard to achieve...all the sacrifices we made, all the sacrifices that** **_she _made.** **You're telling me that Lucette died for nothing!" **The soul didn't want to beleive it, in the end, he knew it was true.

_"Lucette? Oh, that girl you were with."_

**"She wasn't just 'that girl'. She was more than that to me..." **The soul snapped back.

_"...I see..." _The voice chuckled coldly at that reply, if only the wandering soul could see the sadistic smile that appeared on his face right then._ "Well, shall we go seek revenge?"_

**"Revenge? Why...?"**

_"Why ask such a stupid question? Don't you want revenge too? The world played us for fools, just mere pawns in their game of life and death. Well, I say we put a stop to that. How do we do that you ask? Simple, make a pact with me and I'll give you all the power could ever want from Niflheim, grant any wish you desire. There is a catch though, you have to do every little thing I say with no questions asked." _The voice scoffed before appearing before the wandering soul.

He was still cloaked in shadows so his face couldn't be seen, but he had the body of a twelve year old. Someone this young...wants revenge against the world so badly?

**"A Demon pact? I thought you were a human."**

_"I was. A very long time ago, when I still so naively stupid and gullible. I was accused of a crime I never committed, sent to my death under a false pretence of those who accused me of being a evil warlock or some pathetic drivel like that. At that very moment, I swore a curse upon the world, that one day, Niflheim will be unleashed once more, their demons will tear their flesh and devour their souls, until Aselia becomes nothing more than an empty husk, and Niflheim rules supreme." _The boy started.

_"When I died, I came here, to the border between life and death. I still wanted my revenge so I could not afford to fall into complete oblivion, so I called out to Niflheim, and they heard my pleas, they turned me into a demon, it took thousands of years of patience and loyalty to them, but now, I'm a powerful and high-ranking Demon in Niflheim now. They heard me when my so-called deity, well, Goddess in your case, never did." _He then finished.

**"Why would you tell me all this about yourself?" **The wandering soul was skeptical.

_"Isn't it so obvious? You and I are the same. We have both devoted ourselves to religions we believed in yet were never rewarded for it. Look at your precious fake Goddess did to you. Did she ever hear your pleas when you needed her aid or strength? Did she save you or your Lucette from the evils you've seen and endured? No, she didn't, you both died in vain. The only god that exists is Lord of Niflheim himself, the very epitome of death, and his army of demons."_

**"..." **Although the face of the wandering soul was hidden in the darkness, a lone tear fell from his cheeks at the thought of the one he loved so dearly, now gone forever...All just so some 'fallen hero' can realize his selfish desires.

_"Poor little Valen. I can help you achieve so much, I could even bring back the one called Lucette to life if you agree to my deal."_

**"How did you know my name? And...can you really do that? How is that any different from what Mithos is doing though? Aren't you being a hypocrite?" **The soul known as Valen was shocked that the human-turned-demon knew his name already, could he read minds?

_"Why of course. The powers of Niflheim are limitless, I can revive an whole undead army with just a snap of my fingers if I wanted to. However, to resurrect a certain person would take some time and effort, but it would most certainly work, unlike Mithos' flawed methods. And even if it that does mean being a hypocrite, why should you not do it? Mithos had been getting away with it for thousands of years, and he stole someone dear to you. So I say 'an eye for an eye' as the saying goes."_

_"And as for knowing your name, you don't think I just do nothing with my spare time, do you? I've been watching you, the moment your life began. I've witnessed the pain and suffering you endured, how you've so lovingly cared for that Chosen. I know everything there is about you, Valen, and I can say that I have suffered an similar fate. That's why I think we would work so well together. So what do you say? Will you accept my offer? Shall we go seek revenge on everyone on Aselia?" _He offered his hand to Valen.

**"..."**

_"Don't worry, I will keep my end of the deal, I shall help bring your Lucette back, so you remember where your loyalties now lie."_

**"Alright, I'll accept the pact. You never answered my first question, who are you?"**

_"Me? I am what you call the 'Grim Reaper Of Souls'. I am Thanatos."_

* * *

Yay, prologue completed! This is my first TOS fan fic in a very long time (I really mean a **_long _**time), so I hope that this one works out. I do have some more fun ideas for this fan fic, but I hope this gives you a taste of what's to come. =3

Sorry if it seems short, this is basically a brief backstory so when we go into the first chapter, it won't be so out of place. You know what I mean? =3

Anyway please read and review, I would like to hear what your thoughts are on this fan fic. Constructive critism is accepted but please be gentle. **;.;**

Anyway, see you all in the next chapter (it'll be up very shortly), Happy Reading! n.n

Moogle Empress out!

Moogle: Kupo!


	2. Chapter 1: Blood Moon

**Chapter 1: Blood Moon**

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Meltokio, the capital of Tethe'alla and currently where Lloyd and Colette were meant to meet their friends for a reunion of sorts. Regal and Presea would be arriving later as they still had some unfinished work at Altamira.

But everyone else came on time, well...nearly everyone.

"Grah, where is that stupid ex-chosen run off to now? I swear if he's flirting with girls again when he should be meeting up with us, I'll be _really _ticked!" Sheena cried out in annoyance, Zelos was the only one not to arrive and Sheena was never one to be patient with the ex-chosen of Tethe'alla.

"Um, Sheena? I think you're being a bit harsh on Zelos." Emil sweatdropped.

"Just leave her be, it's how we girls sometimes let off steam." Marta smiled warmly at her crush-turned-boyfriend. It had only been five months since Emil returned to her and she was officially the luckiest girl in the world right now, well, in her opinion.

"Oh.."

"So...Does anyone know why Professor Sage asked us all to come to Meltokio?" Lloyd asked curiously.

"That's what I want to know, Sis has been really bothered by something for a while, I tried to ask her, but she just said that she'll tell me when we meet up with everyone." Genis was just as confused as Lloyd was.

"I wonder what Professor discovered?" Colette turned to Lloyd.

"Whatever it is, I hope it's not a relic that will go into a history lesson. I don't think I could handle one of her lessons right now." Lloyd lightly joked, even though he was half-serious about what he said.

Just then, Zelos jumped into the picture, glomping over Sheena. "Greetings one and all~! The great Zelos Wilder has arriv-gyaaahhhhh!" He was rewarded for his glomping with a powerful kick to the stomach by a ticked off Sheena. "_Don't _grope someone the minute you arrive, you idiot!"

Zelos lost balance and accidently crashed into someone passing by, making that said person fall to the ground with him. Realizing too late, Sheena gave a look of guilt before hurrying to make sure the person Zelos crashed into was okay. The others followed Sheena to check what had happened.

"Owww...Hey! Watch where you're going, jerk!" The victim glared. He looked seventeen and had mid-long dark blue hair that was tied into a small ponytail with stray strands of his hair framing his face. He was the owner of bright amethyst-shaded eyes. He wore a black form-fitting sleeveless vest with a black muffler scarf wrapped around his neck and fell just over his shoulders. He wore black pants with many belts around the waist, some where even left loose while others were strapped already. He also wore brown adventuring boots with just as many belts around the ankle.

"Well, aren't you a cocky one? You would go flying too if you on the receiving end of one of her kicks!" Zelos glared back.

"You obviously deserved it, because it hurt like hell when you crashed into me." He plainly stated.

"Zeph! Zeph, are you okay?" A new voice ran over and checked on the one Zelos crashed into. The owner of the voice belonged to a girl, a very pretty one. She was the same age as the dark-blue haired boy. She was fair-skinned with pinkish red hair that was tied into a ponytail with a white ribbon. She owned a mismatched pair of eyes, her right eye was blue while the other emerald green. She wore a white sleeveless dress, reaching to her knees with golden elvish markings on and had black tights underneath, she also had a white short cape with a little hood, she had fingerless gloves that reached to her elbows and light brown thief boots. Her choice of weapon was a bow and arrows.

_'Time to put on the Wilder charm~' _Zelos smiled to himself. And he could get some sort of revenge on the smart-mouth he could charm her. "Why hello there, my cute hunn-"

"Yeah, that's great. Do you mind, I'm checking up on my friend. You okay, Zeph?" The girl simply rolled her eyes and brushed him off before returning to her friend.

"Yeah, don't worry. If I was that weak, I wouldn't be a good fighter now, would I?" Zeph reassured her while giving off a confident smirk.

"Alright, tough guy," The girl smirked back at slapped his back.

"OW! For the love of Martel, Renee! That hurt!" Zeph yelled.

"Heh heh, sorry, I couldn't resist." Renee snickered.

Zelos just felt invisible. Sheena soon came over, her worry faded and gained a small smile on her face at Zelos' expression of being ignored by the girl he was trying to flirt with.

"I'm impressed. You're the first girl I've met besides my friends that brushed off this idiot like that." Sheena tried to strike a conversation.

"Hm? Who?" Renee tilted her head.

"She means him," Zeph pointed to Zelos who was still frozen in shock.

"Oh, that guy? Who is he anyway?" Renee asked innocently.

"...Is she serious?" Genis gaped at her.

"I guess there's always one." Marta shrugged.

"Huh?"

"Renee, that's the Ex-chosen of Tethe'alla we heard so much about on the way here." Zeph face-palmed.

"Oh! That guy! I kinda expected him to be a little...different. Y'know, a little more, I don't know, chosen-like. He looks more like a flamboyant womanizer." Renee seemed unfazed by this revealed fact.

"Wahhhh! Lloyd, she's so mean! She's even worse than Sheena~!" Zelos bursted into crocodile tears and cried on Lloyd's shoulders.

"Geez, Zelos. It was just a bit of criticism." Lloyd sighed.

"Will he be okay? Sorry if I said something wrong." Renee apologised.

"Nah, he'll get over it. He's just proud. Too proud, really." Sheena shook her head.

"Well, in any case, we should get going. We still have check for our contact and certain..._creatures_, if you get my meaning." Zeph whispered to Renee.

"Oh right, no time to rest~ " Renee nodded, they were about to leave before Emil plucked the courage to speak up.

"U-um, excuse me, sorry about this, we're waiting for someone. Have you met someone called Professor Raine Sage?"

"Wait, you know the Professor? She's the one who contacted us." Zeph blinked.

"HUH? Sis never told me that!" Genis cried out.

"Oh, so you're her little brother that she mentioned! I see the resemblance~" Renee smiled brightly. "Anyway, yes. She said she needed someone with Dem-err...how do I say this without freaking anyone?"

"We're Demon Hunters." Zeph stated bluntly.

The expression on the group's face was...blank before it turned into one of pure shock. "EH?"

"Zeph! What about all that talk about secrecy and 'secret between us' rubbish you fed me before we arrived here!"

"She never mentioned that these misfits were the group she told us to meet up with, I was just being cautious." Zeph reasoned.

"Who are you calling misfits?" Lloyd snapped back.

"Yes, I should really explain the whole situation properly to you all." A familiar voice to Lloyd's group finally arrived coming down the steps that led to the higher levels of the city.

"Raine! We've been waiting ages for you! What took you so long? And what's this talk about Demon Hunters?" Genis was the first to ask.

"Professor? Is something wrong?" Lloyd looked concerned.

Raine sighed sadly before looking back up. "We should speak somewhere more safe. I can't explain it out in the open like this." Raine told them.

"Then let's go Zelos' mansion, we'll be able to talk easy there. I'll send a letter over to Regal and Presea to meet there." Sheena suggested.

"I suppose we could go there, but do we have to bring that annoying pest with us? Of course, the little red hunny can come along~"

"How about you stay away from Renee or I'll show just what I can do with these daggers."

"I never hide anything from Zeph, you either tell us both together or I'll tell him later. He'll find out either way." Renee boldly answered.

"They're so cruel..."

"C'mon Zelos, Professor Sage wouldn't have asked these two to come if we didn't need their help." Lloyd reasoned.

"Lloyd's right. There's probably more to this than just a normal reunion and I trust in Professor's judgement." Colette also agreed.

"Fine, fine. What are we standing around for? To my abode!" Zelos pointed to the noble quarters of the city.

"Is he always this arrogant?" Zeph raised an eyebrow to Lloyd.

"Ah, don't worry. He just acts like that for appearances, he's a very good friend underneath it, you'll see." Lloyd flashed a big grin.

"Whatever..." Zeph shook his head. They followed the group to where Zelos' mansion would be. As the sun was setting on the horizon, the sky was painted in a sorrowful red and yellow, as if it foretold a dark omen was coming.

* * *

Somewhere near Meltokio, Thanatos looked over the city that was brimmed with life, for the moment.

"My, Tethe'alla sure has changed since my time. That was ten thousand years ago mind you, they didn't even know how to make proper pitchforks, let alone develop Magi-technology. Still, this makes an excellent harvesting ground for souls." Thanatos looked over from the Fooji Mountains to the blissfully unaware kingdom that would soon get a nasty awakening.

Thanatos looked deceivingly like a twelve year old human, but anyone who knew Thanatos' true colours knew much better. He had short raven black hair with ominous golden eyes that reflected in the sun's last rays of light. He wore a obsidian body suit with elegant demonic armour over his body, although some parts were left exposed. He wore no helmet, metal greaves or metal gauntlets, but he did black light metal boots that reached to his knees. He also wore bracelets filled with demonic power on his wrists.

Just then, another arrived through a dark portal. He looked older than the dangerous demon beside him, around eighteen or so. He had long wavy silver hair with purple highlights, it flowed past his shoulders only to end half-way down his back. He was also a little more down-to-earth than Thanatos with attire. He wore an ebony collared tunic with golden rims and wore black pants underneath the tunic, but most of the tunic was covered over by a long red cloak that was tattered at the ends. He was equipped with black fingerless gauntlets and matching greaves.

He had been a special sword that was given to him by Thanatos after he had agreed to the pact 2500 years ago. It was a demon sword forged in Niflheim, it was dark purple, faintly humming with power within the metallic sheen of the blade and it was sharp enough to cut a man cleanly into two. The interesting thing about this sword were that anyone who died to them would have their souls stored within the blade itself, apparently according to Thanatos, this was all part of their plan.

He also wore skeletal beak mask that covered the upper half of his face to hide his identity from people when he slays them. It couldn't hide the cold dark red eyes that were once full of life, but now just empty and lifeless.

"Thanatos, the armies are ready to attack on your signal." He replied.

"Perfect. Now we just wait for night-time to arrive, then the fun can begin~"

"Thanatos...why did we take the bodies of the failed chosens as well? They're useless as they are now. I understand getting Lucette's body from there but..."

"Ah, you fail to see the advantage, dear Valen. It's a simple answer. Although they are indeed soulless, they're also easy to control. We can make them attack the people they once went on their doomed journey to save their ungrateful little lives. The irony of it all would be just sublime, don't you think?"

"It's still too cruel, they didn't ask to become lifeless beings just because they wanted to. They did it to-"

"Oh please, save me the sob story. Why are you defending these wretched creatures anyway? Humans, Elves and even Half-Elves are flawed. You should know this better than anyone, have you forgotten what they did to your Lucette? Just be thankful I kept her secured her in the Temple of Darkness instead of sending her out with the other Chosens." Thanatos scoffed.

"..." _'You were once human too, you know...Has ten thousands years really turned you into such a monster...?'_ Valen didn't say a word.

"Now, if you're done asking stupid questions. Go back and wait for my signal, I'll need you on the frontline when the soul harvesting begins.

Valen simply bowed before stepping back, summoning a portal and passing through it before it closed behind him.

"Honestly, sometimes I wonder if that Half-Elf is worth the hassle. No matter, if I want to keep him around my finger, I'll have to make good on that pact I made. If it wasn't for that pact, I wouldn't even be on Aselia right now." Thanatos turned his head to see the tiny hintings of a red moon rising up from the ocean.

"Ah, what a lovely red moon. A perfect night for a bloody massacre..." He laughed into coming night, waiting for the right time to strike.

* * *

Night has fallen over the Tethe'alla capital of Meltokio, in Zelos' mansion, everyone had settled into place in the foyer. Even Regal and Presea had recently arrived, heading to Zelos' mansion when they met up with Sheena on route to the captial. Sebastian was serving tea to some of the members in the group while Seles had made herself comfortable next to her big brother.

"Brother, what's going on here? You guys rarely get together unless it's important."

"There's certainly something very strange going on. Hey, Lloyd, got any better idea about what's going on?"

"You're really asking me that question when I don't know the answer?" Lloyd gave an annoyed look to Zelos.

"Would you like some tea, Sir Bud?" Sebastian offered.

"Ah, no thanks. And stop calling me Bud!"

"There's a story here, isn't there?" Zeph smirked.

"Shut up!" Lloyd growled.

"Alright, I believe I should be honest with all about why I asked for all of us to be here." Raine let out a big breath before beginning.

"Please let us know, it must be important since it sounded urgent." Regal nodded.

"Okay, has anyone here heard rumours about disappearances going on at night at various villages and towns?" Raine asked.

"Ah...no." Lloyd shook his head.

"I haven't heard anything like that either, Professor. I'm sorry." Colette apologised for her lack of information.

"Emil? Wasn't there a disappearance in Altamira a few days back?" Marta recalled briefly.

"Now that I think about it...Yeah. When we visited Altamira before coming to Meltokio, they said a employee working there had gone missing."

"Yes, I know of what Emil speaks of. One of our workers disappeared, we found him later on an unused area of the beach, he had been long since dead before we even arrived." Regal nodded.

"Yes, Regal mentioned this to me. That's why he said I should stay within the hotel during the incident to make sure if the worst was over." Presea remembered.

"Oh yeah, our spies in Mizuho have gathered that these disappearances appear on full moon nights, when the red moon is biggest. That's all we know for sure I'm afraid."

"Geez, how long had this been going on?" Lloyd couldn't believe that he hadn't realized any of this was happening.

"For two months now, and the body count is already at forty." Sheena answered.

"Forty people were killed within two months?" Emil's eyes widened.

"It seemed very strange, so I decided to look into it at Meltokio's royal library, after asking Zelos to get permission from the king, of course."

"Oh yeah, I remembered you asked me to get you permission from the king for that, did you find anything in the end?" Zelos recalled the event Raine mentioned.

"...I didn't like what I saw in there. One of the books mentioned something called a 'Soul Harvest', where demons from Niflheim gather souls from the living to empower themselves and make them stronger. But since to the seals on the Book of Niflheim and the Demon gate, the soul harvesting stopped." Raine started.

"And now with all these disappearances and murders, I could only assume that somehow, someway, the demons are entering Aselia and stealing souls. To confirm my theory, I started asking for anyone with any in-depth knowledge on the demons and Niflheim itself. That's when I learnt of these two demon hunters over here." Raine continued.

"We haven't properly introduced ourselves right when we first met. My name is Renee Collabel and this is my best friend and partner, Zephyr Yules. Nice to meet you all." Renee introduced themselves.

"It's very nice to meet you both too, Renee and Zephyr." Colette beamed.

"You can just call just Zeph. I hate that name, makes me sound ancient." Zeph crossed his arms.

"I think it's a cool name myself, I don't know what you have against it." Renee huffed.

"Well, you always did have an strange taste in everything. Food, clothes, even with old-sounding names like mine." Zeph rolled his eyes.

"Hey! What are you implying there?" Renee argued.

"But wait...I thought the Demon Gate was protected by Ratatosk and the Centurions and the seal on that book you mentioned is still there, right? So how can Demons appear on Aselia still?" Marta questioned.

"There's only one other way a Demon could even step a foot on Aselia without influence from the seals, that's through demon pacts. First, they need to find an idiot whose stupid enough to fall for one, then they form a pledge-stone. It's kind of like a contract, it can't be broken by anyone accept for the pact-maker or the demon. Does that make any sense?"

"Uhhh...Can you give us an easier example?" Lloyd still looked confused.

"...Are you serious? That **_was _**the dumbed down version." Zeph blinked.

"...This is Lloyd we're talking about...Even that would be complex for him." Genis sarcastically said which earning him an offended "HEY!" from Lloyd.

"Sorry, but it's as Zeph says. The whole pact between a mortal and demon is pretty confusing. That's as easy as you're going to get it." Renee sweat dropped nervously.

"Let me put it in words you might understand, Lloyd." Genis sighed loudly. " A Demon makes a pact with say...a human, right? So when they agree to make a pact, a pledge-stone is formed which is the symbol of the pact. The pact can only be broken if either the mortal or the demon destroys the pledge-stone." Genis plainly explained.

"Oh, I think I get it now." Lloyd smiled.

"I think I understand. So, this pledge-stone can't be destroyed by anyone else?" Colette asked.

"Nah, that would be too easy. The pledge-stones are made that way so it's binding and official. To be honest, only a fool would give up their soul for a contract with a demon." Zeph shook his head.

"I don't know...people are known to do foolish things for people they love, maybe even make contracts with Demons. People are emotional, and the demons prey on those emotions, turning them into our weakness."

"...Yeah...I know what you mean." Lloyd's expression was sadden when his memory went back to when Mithos was still alive. He was willing to do anything and everything for Martel. If a demon had come to him, promising to revive Martel, Mithos would have agreed to it in a heartbeat if meant saving his sister.

"Richter was the same. He made a contract with Demons before, so he could save Aster and destroy Ratatosk in revenge." Emil looked depressed when he thought of the memories of that time. Especially when he and Ratatosk were still one.

"Emil." Marta placed a hand over Emil's own.

"Huh...Did this Richter destroy his pledge-stone?" Zeph narrowed his eyes.

"Ah! I-I'm sure he did. H-he said wasn't using their power anymore and he's guarding the gate with Ratatosk now." Emil stuttered and forced his answer out.

"I see. Then he did break it then, otherwise the Ratatosk Gate would have eventually drained him if he was bound to a demon." Zeph answered back.

"So, you're saying that a demon and his pact-maker is doing the killings? But what purpose would this have? It couldn't be just to obtain more power." Regal asked.

"That's a good question, if it was really just that. It wouldn't be this often, but these incidents have been happening once a month and a large number of people in a single night end up disappearing or they are found dead. I get the feeling there's much more to this." Renee went into a thinking pose.

"Our other clue is that it always happens on a full red moon night. There are two moons now, but it seems it's always the red moon that the incidents happen. It was said that in ancient times, a full red moon represents the bewitching hour for Demons and Undead, so it makes sense that they would appear on this night." Zeph added.

"...Where did you learn that-" Genis was about to ask before Zeph beat him to it. "My family has been Demon Hunters for over seven thousand years. Everything they ever knew, they taught me."

"And me~" Renee smiled brightly, pointing to herself.

"And technically I taught Renee all I knew about Demon hunting," Zeph gave a soft smile. "Renee was an orphan that was raised by the church in Parmacosta, my parents died from a demon attack that struck Luin a long time ago, I doubt about it anyone in Luin knows it now. So, I was taken in by the priests and sisters of the Parmacosta church and they raised us both together. We've been pretty inseparable since."

"I never heard of a demon attack on Luin before..." Emil shook his head.

"Like I said, I doubt anyone who lived in Luin during that time lives there now." Zeph sighed.

"I know this isn't our place to ask. We heard so much about your exploits from Professor Sage, and...we want to ask for your help against this threat. I have a feeling that this isn't no ordinary demon we're dealing with. We can't fight it alone. So...will fight with us? Please?" Renee asked politely.

"Alright. We're going to go find this Demon and his pact-maker and teach them not to mess with us." Lloyd stood up.

"Well, looks like I didn't need to ask you after all, Lloyd." Raine smiled all-knowingly.

"Of course, I can't just let this continue to happen. I was completely oblivious about it before, but now that I know, I'm going to do all I can to stop it." Lloyd stated.

"Still the idealist, eh Lloyd? But hey, I'm not complaining." Zelos smirked.

"I'll help too. Now that I know what's going on, I can't just stand by and let this happen anymore either. I'm with you all the way, Lloyd." Colette stood up and next to Lloyd.

"I think it's pretty obvious what we're all going to say." Genis gave an confident smile to Lloyd. Everyone else, besides Renee and Zeph nodded in total agreement.

"I want to help end this as well." Emil nodded.

"Make that two." Marta punched the air.

"Alright then, so where do we begin?" Lloyd beamed brightly and turned to the two demon hunters.

"Wow, thank you everyone! We have more friends now, isn't that great?" Renee cheered.

"Well, I'm certainly not going to say no to having more allies. In any case, the first thing we need to do is find out where they're attacking next. It's a full red moon tonight, so it's going to difficult to find them in time before they steal more souls." Zeph rose from the seat.

Just then, Renee felt a dark pulse in the air, she shivered at the aura. "Renee, what's wrong? Are you cold?" Zeph became concerned and checked her temperature.

"Just now, I felt a really dark presence outside. I have a bad feeling about tonight." Renee placed her hands over her arms as if she was freezing.

"An dark presence...? That means they're already here!" Zeph figured out from the small clues.

"Amazing...! How was she able to do that?" Marta was awed by Renee's keen senses.

"No time to explain, we need to get out there right now!" Zeph rushed ahead leaving the mansion.

"Zeph-! Hey, wait for me!" Renee soon followed afterwards.

"Alright, time to go meet this demon." Lloyd steeled himself as he charged after Renee, followed by the others lastly by Zelos, who turned to Sebastian.

"Sebastian, take Seles and yourself to a secure area in the house and make sure to stay in there."

"As you wish, Master Zelos." Sebastian bowed.

"Zelos! Let me come with you. I can fight." Seles boldly asked.

"No way, I'm not risking my little sister's soul being devoured by some demonic psychopath. Sebastian, please take care of her."

"I will guard her with my life, Master Zelos."

"Don't worry, Sis. I don't plan on being any demon's main course tonight." Zelos winked to her before following after the group.

"...Please, be careful..."

* * *

"This is it. Let the Meltokio massacre begin." Thanatos gave an wicked smile before giving the signal under the light of the blood red moon.

* * *

Alright, that's chapter 1! =D

Anyway please read and review, I would like to hear what your thoughts are on this fan fic. Constructive criticism is accepted but please be gentle. **;.;**

Anyway, see you all in the next chapter, Happy Reading folks! **n.n**

Moogle Empress out!

Moogle: Kupo!


	3. Chapter 2: Dancing With Death

**Chapter 2: Dancing With Death**

* * *

_"This is it. Our hour has come. Let the Meltokio Massercre begin." Thanatos gave an wicked smile before giving the signal under the light of the blood red moon._

* * *

On the signal given by Thanatos, various dark portals began to appear on the ground, allowing multiple undead and lifeless corpses of the recently dead to rise from the depths, lead by none other than Valen. Before they could even begin killing anyone, they heard a loud voice halt their invasion.

"Hold it right there!"

The entire group arrived, acting almost like a shield between them and the city.

Thanatos let out an annoyed sigh. "I knew it was just a matter of time before we got the Eternal Swordsman's attention, that idiot just can't stay out of trouble, can he?"

"What? Who said that?" Lloyd barked, looking around for the owner, as he could only see Valen right now.

"Up here, you fools!"

They followed the direction of the voice to find Thanatos sitting on top the city's gates.

"Little boy! What are you doing up there? Come down before you hurt yourself!" Colette called out. She summoned her wings out and started to hover.

"Colette, wait!" Renee stopped Colette by grabbing hold of her arm before Colette could fly up there. "Don't let that guy deceive you, he's looks like a little boy but he's really a demon."

"Really? That little kid is the demon we heard about?" Marta gasped.

"So we meet face to face, Lloyd Irving, the infamous hero-killer, it's such an honour." Thanatos greeted in a mock bow.

"Hero-killer?" Emil repeated.

"He must be talking about Mithos." Raine narrowed her eyes.

They had told Emil and Marta about their journey in full detail quite sometime ago, not long after Emil came back from the Ginnungagap. They told them about the truth of Cruxis and most importantly about 'Goddess' Martel and Mithos himself. At first, they were in a state of denial about it, but slowly came to accept it as the truth, it was understandable in their case to doubt at first. The group was grateful that they believed in their story in the end, as they knew it wasn't something that could be accepted so easily by everyone.

"I have to thank you personally for taking care of that insufferable half-elf. He was such a pain in Niflheim's side, but now, with the worlds once again reunited we can move around more easily than before, with the worlds previously being divided and such. Although that Demon Gate in the Ginnungagap is still an issue, but that'll be remedied soon enough."

"W-what do you plan to do to Ratatosk?" Emil demanded.

"Nothing pleasant, I assure you, you pathetic imitation of life." Thanatos felt a smile on his face when he saw Emil had flinched at the insult.

"You-! Don't you **dare** talk about my Emil that way!" Marta was about to teach that horrible demon a lesson but Zeph stopped her.

"Don't, he's just trying goad you into making reckless moves."

"He's doing a _very _good job at it." Marta hissed as she glared at the demon.

"Anyway, I digress, we have souls to gather. If you leave now, I'll let you go with your souls intact."

"You must be really sick if you think we're going to do that." Lloyd spat back.

"Oh well, I tried. Valen, take care of this rabble and gather some souls while you're at it, I'll go and take care of _that_." Thanatos ordered.

"As you wish, Thanatos." Valen obeyed in a monotone reply. Thanatos teleported away, leaving the group with just Valen and the horde of undead behind him.

"Sooo...You must be the pact-maker, right?" Zeph knew the answer was obvious but he asked anyway.

"I think that should have been obvious by now. Now get out of our way, or I'll force you." Valen gave a word of warning before drawing his sword out.

"..." Zelos observed carefully, Valen was strangely honourable for someone who made a deal with a demon and killed a lot of people already. There was more to all this than meets the eye. He should know, after all, he too once carried well-guarded secrets of his own.

"And I'm telling you we're not letting you kill anyone else!" Lloyd argued back.

"Fine, then you have just doomed yourselves. I want to test my skills against the one who killed Mithos Yggdrasil anyway. Honestly, I wanted to kill that little brat myself but it looks like you beat me to it."

"Wait, you knew Mithos?" Lloyd raised an eyebrow.

"Not quite, but he selfishly took away someone very close to me for his own gains. I swear that one way or another, I'm taking back what was stolen from me. I don't care what sins I have to commit to make that happen! Attack! Leave no one but the royal family of Tethe'alla alive!" Valen ordered the undead, some of undead grew skeleton-like wings and glided over the wall of the city, it didn't take long before they heard screams coming from within.

"We'll have to split up, that's our only chance of helping the people in city." Zeph informed.

"Why can't we just kill that guy? Won't that work?" Zelos pointed to Valen.

"I don't know... this guy looks like bad news, if we're not careful, we could end up like those minions of his. For now, let's work on saving as many people we can from those things." Lloyd answered.

"Alright then, whose staying behind to take care of their general?" Zeph nodded.

"He wants to fight me. So I'll stay and distract this leader of theirs."

"I'll fight with you, Lloyd." Colette spoke up.

"I'll stay and fight too, you'll need someone with some experience of demon-slaying." Zeph also volunteered.

"Then I'll-"

"No, Renee, you're needed in the city. You're equipped to fight against ranged targets, your bow can reach those flying undead when I can't." Zeph shook his head.

"If you need a bodyguard to look after her, I'm man enough for the job~" Zelos raised his hand.

"...Fine, it's against my better judgement but I'll leave her in your hands. If anything happens to her, I WILL kill you. Understand?"

"Yeah yeah, I get it. Don't worry, she'll be perfectly safe in my care." Zelos smirked.

"I'll keep an eye on Zelos for you then, you just can't trust him to be alone with girls." Sheena also volunteered.

"You have so little faith in me, Sheena." Zelos sniffed sadly.

"Be careful, this enemy you face looks strong. Do not drop your guard around him." Presea warned.

"Thanks, Presea." Colette thanked Presea for her concern.

With that, the rest of the group rushed back into the city to fight against the undead that were already inside.

"So, it's three of you against me, huh? That seems a little unfair, doesn't it?" Valen mocked.

"Yeah, right. You guys in Niflheim never play fair." Zeph scoffed back as he quickly pulled out his daggers and eased himself into an attack stance.

"Touché." Valen shrugged. "The rest of you go into the city and do your job, understood?" Valen glared at the remaining undead, even though they didn't reply back, they swiftly sank beneath the ground and charged towards the city.

"You're fighting alone?" Lloyd questioned.

"I don't need their help to finish off you three. I gave you all the chance to run but you chose to stay and fight. Noble, and maybe even brave, but very foolish. Now, you'll see just what the 'Soul Reaper' can do. So then, shall we dance?" He simply finished before suddenly charging at Lloyd first.

* * *

Once they arrived in the city, the remaining members of the group saw the Papal Knights were already trying to fight off the invasion but were losing the fight. They even saw one Papal Knight get killed and witnessed the cloaked undead using the sword it used to slay the knight to extract something bright and glowing from him before it absorbed into the sword.

"Word of advice, don't let their swords touch you. They're Niflheim forged blades, they have the ability to remove souls from the hosts." Renee warned them.

"Thanks for the heads up, but I don't plan on dying tonight." Zelos replied.

After a few minutes to debating, they split into smaller groups. Emil, Marta and Genis went into the Meltokio slums, Regal, Raine and Presea remained on the main part of the city to fight off the undead. While Renee, Zelos and Sheena hurried to the upper part of the city to help defend the noble quarters, Zelos wanted to choose this section because Seles and Sebastian was hiding there and both of the girls understood that.

When they arrived, they already saw that some of the nobles were killed already, but thankfully, none of them were either Seles or Sebastian.

"Whew, that's a relief. That means Seles and Sebastian are still safe."

"You know, Lloyd was right. You really are a nice guy." Renee smiled softly.

"Meh, what can I say? He's my bud." Zelos gave a carefree smile before it turned serious. "Still, I can't get over what that dude with the mask said. What did he mean by 'leave no one but the royal family alive?' What could they want with the King?" Zelos wondered.

"Maybe that's what that Thanatos guy was talking about. We'll have deal with that later though, we got company." Sheena quickly snatched up her cards ready.

"Up there!" Renee quickly took out her bow and fired an special kind of arrow in the sky above them, they heard a shrieking scream as an undead came crashing down, the undead dissolved into dust when it made contact with the ground. "Holy Arrows, the bane of all that is unholy." Renee answered proudly.

"Cool, just try not to run out of them." Zelos whistled.

"Don't worry, I don't plan on wasting them all. These things are way too damn expensive to make. If only that old man wasn't so stingy about Gald." Renee noted to herself.

"Buy me time, I'm going to summon Luna." Sheena suddenly told the two as she prepared herself for summoning.

"Wait, you can summon? Ah, doesn't matter, I got you covered." Renee winked to acknowledge Sheena.

"Just leave these weaklings to us." Zelos pulled out his sword in a confident way. As more undead approached, Zelos and Renee stood ready to attack.

* * *

"Eruption!" Genis casted in time on an undead who was about to strike at a defenceless young woman. As the walking cloaked corpse burned to ashes, she only managed to gasp a quick thank you before she continued to run away.

"That was close, how you two handling?" Genis sighed in relief.

"I-I think we're managing." Emil managed to reply as he took care of another undead with his sword.

"Ugh! There's no end to them!" Marta cried out in annoyance.

"We got to keep this up though, if we don't, a lot of people are going to be killed." Emil reminded Marta.

"I know. I just wish they called quits already." Marta slowly nodded before she threw one of her spinners at an undead that tried to sneak up on her.

"...Huh?" For a moment, Genis thought he sensed a familiar mana signature, what was that just now?

* * *

In the central area of Meltokio, Regal, Presea and Raine were fending off what seemed to be an endless wave of undead, while protecting the still fleeing city folk, although, it was already too late for some Tethe'allans.

Presea released a powerful strike with her axe at an undead, cleanly cutting off the head. Regal used a flurry of special kick moves while Raine casted 'Ray' and healing spells to cause physical harm to the creatures as it burned their bodies.

Raine focused herself again and this time casted a spell on themselves. "Barrier!", a transparent shield protected them, giving them a brief repose as the undead tried to smash through the barrier.

"This is more serious than I thought. I didn't think they would summon this many into one city." Raine motioned her head to Regal.

"It would appear that this 'Thanatos' as the masked man called him had been planning this invasion on Meltokio for a long time. This has been too well thought-out to be just an reckless assault on humanity."

"Indeed, there is something in Meltokio that they're hunting for. My only question is 'what' are they looking for?" Raine nodded.

* * *

Back outside Meltokio's gates, the battle between Valen and Lloyd's trio was heating up. Lloyd managed to avoid the first strike made by Valen before and barely countered the next few powerful strikes from Valen.

He was finally given a break when Zeph attempted to hit a vital area while the masked general was distracted, but his dagger just met thin air when Valen warped out of the way and jumped back into the battle a few steps away from the group.

"Since when can he warp like that?" Zeph asked himself, annoyed that his attack missed. He tried to attack him again. He slipped out some kunai knives from his pocket before firing them, "Blade Rondo!"

Valen used his sword to deflect some of the kunai knives, but he soon realized, that was decoy as Lloyd used an amplified demon fang and strike him from behind, leaving a gash at his back.

Valen hissed at the pain before smirking to himself. _'Finally, rivals worth killing.'_

"You know, your souls are going to make a great addition to the collection I've already gained within this sword."

"Don't get ahead of yourself." Zeph growled.

"Brimming with confidence aren't you?" Valen laughed softly as he stood back up from his hunched position from before, using energy from his sword to heal his gash.

"He can still stand after that?" Lloyd asked aloud.

"This sword allows me use hidden potent energy within every spiritual essence that you call a 'soul'. So if I wanted to, I could heal myself and unleash powers you can only imagine by simply harnessing that energy." Valen explained to a shocked Lloyd.

Colette attacked from above, throwing her chakrams towards Valen, one managed to hit while the other was dodged. When both chakrams returned to Colette's hands, in reprisal for the attack, he released a wave of dark energy from the 'Soul Reaper' blade, firing it at Colette.

"Colette!" Lloyd panicked, he opened his own blue wings and rushed to Colette's side.

"Damn it, we're too far away!" Zeph knew that they wouldn't reach her before the wave would but he was going to try regardless. In the corner of his eye, he swore that he saw a shadow quickly pass by him.

Colette wouldn't be able to move out of the way in time so she did her best to defend herself, only to hear a distinctive yet familiar voice nearby.

"Go, my minion!" A shadow imp jumped out of the blue and absorbed the attack as it was of the same element.

"A monster? That means..." Lloyd had the same shocked expression as Valen did when he saw that small monster come out of nowhere and disappeared as soon as it arrived.

Colette landed back to the grassy ground, before her saviour came out of the shadows.

"My, I leave you people for a year or so and you're picking fights with demons now, whatever next?" Tenebrae mocked.

"Tenebie~! Colette beamed.

"...Please don't call me that in public..." Tenebrae sighed pitifully.

"Great...So Ratatosk knows about us..." Valen gritted his teeth.

"Did you really think Lord Ratatosk would not notice when you started stealing souls? Lord Ratatosk grew concerned when the death count grew, especially on the nights when the red moon is biggest." Tenebrae simply countered.

"Really? He became worried about us?" Lloyd turned to the Centurion.

"No, he was actually more worried that the Demon Seal was being breached again than the loss of human life." Tenebrae stated simply.

"...Yeah, that sounds like Ratatosk alright..." Lloyd sweat dropped.

"You are just as annoying as your Lord, aren't you Centurion Of Darkness?" Thanatos' voice echoed before he finally reappeared before them.

"Thanatos, were you able to get the item you wanted?" Valen turned to face the demon.

"Oh yes, the king was _very_ helpful in finding the relic. That's one down, and six more to find." Thanatos smiled, showing what looked like a stone relic with an ancient elvish symbol engraved on it.

"That relic-! What do you plan on doing with it?" Tenebrae became more alert when he saw the relic in Thanatos' hand.

"That would be spoiling the surprise~ I can't wait to show your 'Lord' the final product." Thanatos smirked at the Centurion with narrowed eyes.

"What did you do with the King of Tethe'alla and his family? Did you...?" Valen curiously asked about the current status of the royal family, Thanatos' main plan was to get the item they wanted from them and then take their souls.

"No, unfortunately, I couldn't carry out my plan completely, that little _pest _is here. I didn't think he'd wake up that fast after Mithos sealed _them _both and I'd rather not waste my time and energy on that wretched little sprite."

"Wait, what? Who is them?" Zeph was now more confused than before.

"What's going on here? What did Mithos do? And who is this guy you're hiding from?" Lloyd demanded.

"Should we cancel our attack?" Valen ignored Lloyd and Zeph and continued to speak with Thanatos.

"We got what we came for, there's no need to waste our time here. Besides, I think we caused enough damage, let them bleed their hearts out for those they couldn't save." Thanatos coldly answered.

"Understood." Valen obeyed and released a signal from the Soul Reaper into the sky to call back the undead forces.

"HEY! Don't ignore us and then leave!" Lloyd barked.

"Oh, rest assured, Eternal Swordsman, we shall meet again. When we do though, it will be your last day on this earth." Thanatos proclaimed before he disappeared once more.

"You! This isn't over. Whatever you plan to achieve, we won't let that happen!" Lloyd narrowed his eyes at the Masked General.

"I'm not 'you', since you're an worthy rival and you hadn't died from our first fight, I'll reward you with my name. It's Valen Croft, and remember this, as long as you continue to get in my way, I won't hesitate to steal your soul when given the chance. I hope you reconsider your choice before then." Valen didn't face Lloyd, Colette or Zeph, but he gave them a fleeting warning before he as well vanished into thin air like a phantom.

"...What...just happened?" Zeph blinked in confusion. "First we were fighting for our lives, then this dog came in and the next thing I knew Thanatos and this 'Valen' was giving the order to retreat because some guy appears?"

"I am _not _a dog," Tenebrae scowled lightly at the Demon Hunter. "And for your information, if this is who I believe it is, then it was very fortunate that he arrived when he did, otherwise...well, I think you would have been a monarchy short." Tenebrae finished with a light huff.

Zeph simply glared back at Tenebrae in response.

"Thank you so much for saving me, Tenebie." Colette thanked, not forgetting that Tenebrae had used a minion to shield her.

"You can thank me by stop calling me that. It's very humiliating for me." Tenebrae replied.

"Hey, why did you come here Tenebrae? Was it to check on the killings?" Lloyd asked.

"That is partly true. The other reason is that Lord Ratatosk wishes to meet with Lady Marta, Emil and the rest of you at the Ginnungagap. It is very urgent." Tenebrae answered.

"I see. We should tell Marta and Emil about this, besides, I think they'll be very happy to see you again." Lloyd replied back to Tenebrae.

"I'm sure they will be. They missed you, you know." Colette nodded in agreement.

"That's...flattering. Ahem! In any case, we should meet with them and bring them up to date." Tenebrae sounded rather touched but composed himself once he remembered the mission at hand.

"I have no idea what's just happened or what's going on right now, but I'll just go with it, for now." Zeph sighed.

Lloyd, Colette and Zeph, joined by Tenebrae, enter the city to see the destruction left in the attack's wake.

"This is terrible..." Colette shook her head, she then noticed something odd. "Wait...What happened to all the bodies? They aren't here."

"Thanatos must have taken the bodies, probably to increase his army. That cunning little monster." Zeph replied to Colette's question.

Raine, Presea and Regal came to see them once they spotted them back in the city.

"Lloyd, Colette and...Zeph, right?" Presea asked before she turned to Tenebrae, "Ah, it's Paw Pad."

Tenebrae gave out a hopeless sigh while turning his ears downwards at the name.

"Wow, I almost feel sorry for the guy." Zeph saw Tenebrae's displeasure at the name and couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the Centurion.

"Tenebrae? Did Ratatosk send you?" Raine questioned.

"Indeed." Tenebrae simply answered.

"Then things are even worse than we thought if Ratatosk had sent one of his servants." Regal figured.

Not long afterwards, the two groups were reunited with Genis, Emil, Marta, Sheena, Zelos and Renee.

Marta and Emil immediately noticed Tenebrae the moment they arrived. "Tenebrae!" Both of them called out happily. Marta hugged the Centurion as she soon as she was close enough.

"Yes, yes. Nice to you see you both as well." Tenebrae coughed.

"Zeph! Are you okay?" Renee checked on her friend.

"I'm fine, Renee. Honestly, have some more faith in me." Zeph sighed.

"Hey, I was worried, alright?" Renee huffed.

"This should be my question. Are you alright?" Zeph returned the favor by asking Renee about her condition.

"I'm fine. Sheena and Zelos were very good allies." Renee nodded with a smile.

"How is Seles and Sebastian anyway, Zelos?" Lloyd asked Zelos about his sister and butler.

"Don't worry, Lloyd. They're fine. Seles is a bit shaken up but I think having Sebastian with her helped keep her calm. All that screaming from above before probably freaked her out." Zelos replied.

"I don't blame her. Those things really were scary." Emil defended.

"Really? You didn't seem so fazed. I thought you looked so heroic and brave facing those things~" Marta smiled sweetly.

"Is that so? How assuring to know that you are gaining more confidence in battle without Lord Ratatosk's help. I think even Lord Ratatosk himself would shed a tear for you." Tenebrae teased playfully.

"Geez, after all this time and you still pick on me?" Emil sounded a bit hurt.

"It's for your benefit, I assure you." Tenebrae smiled slyly.

"What happened anyway, guys? I was just about to summon Luna and then those...undead things just retreated." Sheena asked mainly Lloyd.

"That masked guy, he called off the attack once his leader...Thanatos, I think that's what he called him, came back. I think they took some sort of rock that the royal family had hidden in the castle." Lloyd explained.

"Hmmm...curious...Zelos, do you know anything about this?" Raine went into a thoughtful position.

"Eh? It's true that the Royal family of Tethe'alla have a wing where they hold really ancient stuff for display, but only the Royal family and the Chosen has access to that area, that's all I know really. I never really cared to go looking in that wing." Zelos answered.

"So basically, we commoners can't go in there." Zeph scoffed.

"Pretty much." Zelos nodded.

"Wasn't the Chosen system abolished? How are we going to get in there now?" Genis narrowed his eyes at Zelos.

"Well, that doesn't mean I still can't go in. It just means I have to ask for permission without using the Chosen title as an excuse anymore." Zelos answered simply.

"That reminds me, what happened to all the victims' bodies? They've completely vanished into thin air." Renee asked.

"Well, that confirms my theory then. Thanatos really did take those bodies with him." Zeph stated.

"That inhumane imp! What could he want with defiling them?" Renee frowned.

"Possibly to recruit more undead into his army. Thanatos is what we call a Necromancer, that means he can bring people back from the dead...When I say _'back from the dead'_, I mean as in zombies or lifeless corpses, of course." Tenebrae answered.

"That's even worse than death itself." Regal shook his head.

"They are just merely reanimated bodies, so you should not feel so bad about killing them, think of it as doing a favour for them." Tenebrae added.

"You sound like you've met Thanatos before." Emil noted.

"Lord Ratatosk and Thanatos had bumped heads before, but that was eight thousand years ago, just before the Demon Seal was created."

"We should go ask the King tomorrow about this relic, right now, we should rest up." Lloyd told the group.

"I would also like to remind you that Lord Ratatosk wishes to meet with you. So after your meeting with the King, I recommend you heading to the Ginnungagap." Tenebrae added in quickly.

"Yes, we'll go see him too." Lloyd reassured the Centurion in a bored tone.

"Say, Zeph? Are we going with them tomorrow?" Renee gave an questionable look at her partner.

"We've gotten ourselves involved now. Besides, I get the feeling that whatever Thanatos took, it was something we can't leave alone. We're Demon Hunters after all, this is what we live for." Zeph answered Renee's question.

"Heh, I knew you were going to say that." Renee gave an all-knowing smile.

"Oh, I'm that predictable now?" Zeph challenged with a smirk of his own.

As they retired to Zelos' mansion to rest after their battle, little did they know a mysterious small spectre was watching them from above, floating on a wooden staff.

* * *

That's chapter 2 for you all.

I hope that I'm pacing the story okay, the last thing I want to do is confuse you guys with too much information. XD

Sorry if the battle scenes were rubbish, I've never been good at writing battle scenes. Hopefully by the end of this fan fic, I'll improve. =3

So, Thanatos and Valen are looking for certain relics, but what are these relics? What does this have to do with their plans? What does Ratatosk want to talk with our heroes about? And who was that little spectre at the end?

Heh heh, I'm really looking forward to writing chapter 3. =3

Anyway please read and review, I would like to hear what your thoughts are on this fan fic. Constructive criticism is accepted but please be gentle. **;.;**

See you all in the next chapter, Happy Reading folks! **n.n**

Moogle Empress out!

Moogle: Kupo!


End file.
